1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to cookware which is adapted to allow drainage of liquids from foods cooked within the cookware.
2. Discussion of Related Art
In food preparation it is customary to cook foods, such as vegetables, in a liquid base in order to insure thorough and proper preparation of the food. In order to insure that the liquid base will not evaporate during the cooking time, a fairly tight lid is normally placed on the cooking vessel to completely enclose the interior thereof. When the alloted cooking time for the particular food has elapsed, the normal procedure is for the liquid to be drained from the cooked food by use of a colander or similar sieve device.
Cook pans have been suggested which provide unique tops for either partially venting the interior of the vessel or facilitating the drainage of fluid therefrom. For instance, U.S. Pat. No. Re. 21,688, issued Jan. 7, 1941, to Van Ness, demonstrates a utensil which can be used as a cover or top for a pot. The utensil comprises a plate which is ordinarily circular in form and projecting downward from the undersurface of the utensil is a circular flange which is solid except for a number of perforations formed at one point therein. When the utensil is used as a cover, it can be tilted upwardly so that the perforations are exposed and can act as a sieve. U.S. Pat. No. 2,907,467, issued Oct. 6, 1959, to Machate, discloses a cover comprising a concavo convex element in the form of a segment of a sphere for engaging the upper rim of utensils. The cover includes apertures formed adjacent the edge of the cover which apertures can be selectively disposed over the utensil for venting and drainage of the liquid contents of the utensil or can be moved away from the edge of the utensil to completely enclose the interior thereof. U.S. Pat. No. 2,185,897, issued Jan. 2, 1940, to Krause et al, discloses a sauce pan and lid wherein the lid has a rim flange for engagement with the pan which is provided with a series of apertures which are registrable with similar size apertures formed in the pan. The top can be rotated on the pan so as to provide variable venting to the pan interior and also provide a means whereby the liquid in the pan can be drained.